Back to dance

Namine was welcomed — I should say swarmed — by her dance mates on her first day back since breaking her leg. The way they welcomed her, I could tell she was missed.

Before the dance class started (actually, it was delayed a little bit), the girls gathered around Namine after she’d climbed out of her wheelchair. They listened intently as Namine told them — rather dramatically, in my opinion — the tale of how she broke her leg. It was also an opportunity to show off her rainbow-colored brace. “It’s not a cast,” Namine told them, “it’s my brace for therapy!”

Namine was excited to get started dancing. Having to wear her brace is still a little cumbersome, and it limits her maneuverability a bit. So while she was able to climb up into her walker, she did need some help strapping herself in. (I didn’t mind. That’s what I’m there for.)

Namine has quite a bit of catching up to do with her jazz recital dance, and for her first day back, she certainly worked hard. A few days ago, she tried doing her dance up to what she’d learned, and she couldn’t recall all the moves. But in class, surrounded by friends and encouragement, she found that it all came back quickly enough.

Near the very end of class, her broken leg was really starting to bother her. She asked if she could take a break and just practice the arm movements; the teacher said absolutely, yes, that was fine. I helped Namine unstrap the walker’s seat, and she climbed down. Even just doing the arm movements, I could see how much she loved being back.